The invention relates to distributed job scheduling, and, in particular, to job scheduling with modular components such as distinct finisher stations.
In order to attach a piece of finishing equipment made for one print engine on another print engine that operates at a different speed, the second print engine's control software must be modified to allow for the finishing equipment's operation at the new speed by adding skipped pitches. For instance, to add the Xerox 5090 machine finisher/binder to the Xerox 4090 machine print engine, a very extensive change to the Xerox 4090 machine print engine control software would be required to allow for interrupting the copy flow with skipped pitches (timing adjustments) for the stitching or binding operations. This change would be required even though the exit height and speed of the 4090 machine print engine is compatible with the 5090 machine finisher entrance height and speed.
Also, in order to attach a finishing device to a copier/printer without modifying the printer control software by adding the ability to skip pitches as needed, the only option available is to add buffer trays in the finishing equipment. The buffer trays would buffer the next set of copy sheets entering the finisher while the finishing operation is continuing on the current set of copy sheets. This method adds cost, complexity, and size unnecessarily to finishing equipment. The current method of scheduling copy paper feeds is not very efficient for customers who may want to link or adapt finishing modules to a variety of copiers/printers.
It is the object of this invention, therefore, to introduce a method of scheduling copy paper feeds in a copier/printer that will allow for easy customer reconfiguration of finishing options in the field with no modifications to the copier/printer control software.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a microprocessor in the copier/printer and in each attached finisher and to provide a high speed serial communication link between the copier/printer and each piece of attached finishing equipment.
Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features characterizing the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.